The Oakland Press/Vaughn Gurganian
Mark Geis of Highland Township says that behavior and judgement of boaters and PWC operators has deteriorated every year since the Oakland County Sheriff's Office suspended marine patrols on Duck Lake three summers ago.

In the wake of the tragic July 14 boating accident on Sylvan Lake that left two children dead and one in critical condition, some Oakland County residents are criticizing the Oakland County Sheriff's Office marine patrol cutbacks on the county's 450 lakes -- but the Sheriff Michael Bouchard says it isn't his department's fault.

Mark Geis of Highland Township, who lives on Duck Lake, said he sees problems on his lake because it lacks marine patrols.

"In the three summers since (the sheriff) suspended our patrols, I have seen the behavior and judgment of the boat and personal watercraft operators deteriorate, and I think it is because there is no one on the lake to stop them and write up a violation," said Geis, 56.

"I continually see no spotters on boats pulling skiers, boarders and tubers. People are cutting each other off and not following the simple rules of the water to go counter-clockwise. All these elements that added up to tragedy on Sylvan Lake and will continue to happen."

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Dianna Jones, Duck Lake Improvement Association secretary, said she sees water skiers at 2 a.m., people driving pontoons with people sitting on the front deck, large MasterCraft boats with girls on the top roll bars, boats driving at high speeds just 20 yards from shore.

"It makes me ill," she said. "It is only a matter of time before we have a serious accident."

Geis compared the lake activity to the "Wild West."

"I even saw a baby (once) on a waverunner between his mother's legs with no life jacket," he said.

Sheriff responds

While all county departments had budgets slashed as property values -- and thus revenues -- dropped in 2008, municipalities have always had the option to contract for marine patrols, county officials said.

Some have, some haven't.

"We have 13 lakes under contract and we hit other lakes," Bouchard said. He maintains a policy of not divulging the number of deputies deployed.

Last Wednesday, Sylvan Lake announced the city would be contracting with the sheriff for marine patrol services. City officials said they anticipate officers will patrol the lake on Saturdays and Sundays during summer months.

According to the sheriff's website, its Marine Unit employs 27 boats, two jump boats, a hovercraft, four all-terrain vehicles, four snowmobiles and a 12-member dive and rescue team.

Bouchard said the division has a $129,551 budget for 2013, more than a $200,000 decrease from 2008.

"Everything took a hit, budgetwise, in 2008," he said.

Bouchard stresses that marine patrols still exist, but the problem is the high number of lakes and less funding, he said.

"When cuts had to be made, spreading patrols became the only option," he said.

"The state has cut (Oakland County) dramatically," Bouchard said. "When your business is all public safety, there are no easy cuts."

In regard to the lakes, Bouchard said Oakland County has the more boat registrations than any other Michigan county, but is receives less than half of registration fees back from the state.

"The law says we're supposed to get two-thirds of the money" from Oakland County boater registration, the sheriff explained. "We get less than 25 percent to do marine patrols and education. ... I'm more than doubling that out of the total (Sheriff's Office) general fund."

He said the county has tried to introduce state legislation to increase the return on boater fees for the past three years, but each year it has been rejected.

"Lots of communities want more coverage," Bouchard said. "But even when we are contracting, you're going to have many situations (on lakes) that are going to have occurred, even with more funding."

Hypothetically, if every community paid for contracting, all county lakes could be patrolled once the sheriff hired the staff, Bouchard said.

While investigation into the fatal Sylvan Lake boating accident that sparked the debate continue, the county's larger lakes seem to get the most complaints during the summer months, Bouchard said.

"Bigger lakes that have a lot more motor sports and population are the places we get the most complaints.," he said. "One person wants 'On Golden Pond' serenity and the other want to slalom. The hot weather and congestion raises the tension among (boaters)."

Even with the economic downturn, Bouchard pointed out, the number of deaths on the lakes has fallen every year since the budget cuts began.

There were seven fatalities in 2008, five in 2009, four in 2010, three in 2011, and two in 2012.

"All of these fatalities were drownings except for one. Having said all that, one lost life is too many, and we do all we can with the resources at hand to prevent them all," he said.

Pine Lakers praise patrol

The Pine Lake Property Owners Association in West Bloomfield is paying the Sheriff's Office $3,500 a year between 2013-15 for marine patrol services.

When the sheriff eliminated patrols there in 2010, the board discussed the change, said boat owner and board member Christine Viegas.

"We took money from our budget. It's a very good thing. We decided it was so important that we take dues to foot the bill ourselves."

The contract brings one officer on a boat to the 400-acre lake. Viegas said he checks boaters' equipment, makes sure people are riding appropriately and issues warnings and tickets where needed.

The patrol, she said, is "key to safety."

Some communities have their own municipal patrols.

The Keego Harbor Police Department has one patrol boat for the shoreline area of Cass Lake in that community, a jurisdiction that includes a long sandbar that draws a crowd on holidays and weekends. The boat is authorized to travel beyond Keego Harbor's portion of the lake in the case of a serious emergency, officials said.

Residents: Wild lakes pose risk

A Waterford boater who lives a block from Cass Lake, which does not have a contracted marine patrol, watches activities on the lake.

"It's total mayhem," he said. "People are driving every which way."

Sometimes he sees a random patrol boat during morning hours, he added. "They need to come out after 1 p.m."

Keego Harbor boater John Harmala had been on Sylvan Lake on July 14 before the crash occurred.

People out on the water were moving around the lake clockwise, against regulations, said Harmala, who has access to Sylvan Lake.

"I pulled out of the water," he said.

A short time later a boat driven by a Sylvan Lake man drove over the three children riding on a large towable tube. Two have died and the third, 10-year-old Adriana Mansour, remains hospitalized.

Harmala worries about weeknight boating on Sylvan Lake.

"During the warm weather, weekday evenings also pose a risk, but Keego Harbor has not announced a plan for increased patrols. In fact, Keego Harbor indicated that the actions by Sylvan Lake will reduce the burden on our city.

"Waterford and Pontiac aside, the two communities must start working together despite their differences."

Geis in Highland can't understand why patrols can't become a priority in the county, considered one of the richest in the nation.

He said he worries situations such as the "tragedy on Sylvan Lake" will continue to happen.